Singler ready to take Pistons minutes

At a recent practice with his new Pistons teammates, Kyle Singler came down on a fast break and made a perfect pass that led to a dunk. That's Singler. He's smart, and he'll make the right plays as a rookie this season with four years of experience at Duke and a year in Spain.

Even though the small forward position is crowded with Tayshaun Prince and Corey Maggette, it'll be hard to keep Singler on the bench because of his ability to hit threes and his basketball IQ. "He makes us more athletic," Pistons big man Greg Monroe said. "He's a smart player." Singler said: "I'm here getting to know my teammates." He laughed when it was mentioned that the last small forward the Pistons drafted was Grant Hill. "That's good company to be in," he said.

Evans believes he still has plenty left in the tank. Last season with the Washington Wizards, Evans produced when given an opportunity, averaging 4.9 points in 14.3 minutes. During the final game of last season against the Miami Heat, he was arguably the best player on the court, finishing with a game-high 18 points in 23 minutes. Evans trained in Houston during the offseason and feels great. While he can still help a team on the court, he acknowledges that his biggest contributions come off the court. He’s an excellent leader and locker room presence, which every team needs to succeed.khjkhj

Houston Rockets big man Greg Smith is facing the same sort of challenges that Gerald Green faced earlier in his career, but he’s not quite as far along in getting himself a guaranteed contract. In fact, Smith was invited to Rockets camp last year as well, but was cut three days before Christmas and the start of the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season.['89089078